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VOL. II, NO. 3 

July, 1915 


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1 



THE RELATION OF LONGFELLOW’S EVANGELINE TO 

TEGNfiR’S FRITHIOFS SAGA . , 

‘ . 1 «T£UUii PS, 0. 

Shortly after this paper had been completed The American- 

Scandinavian Foundation published: Poems by Tegner : The 
Children of the Lord’s Supper, translated by Longfellow ; Frithiofs 
Saga, translated by W. L. Blackley. In the Introduction to this 
work the editor, Dr. P. R. Lieder, states and proves that Long¬ 
fellow in his Evangeline has taken as the background for the 
Acadian setting “the impression of Sweden” he had received 
from Tegner’s Frithiofs Saga, a statement which was first made 
by Edward Thorstenberg in his article “Is Longfellow’s Evange¬ 
line a product of Swedish influence?” 1 (Poet Lore, 1908, No. 

19, pp. 310-317). Without any knowledge of the publications 
just mentioned, I myself had been tracing the Evangeline back to 
Tegner’s Frithiofs Saga. In an examination of both poems, I 
was struck by the similarity not only in the matter of background 
and possibly of the metre, but more especially of the resemblance 
of the plots. Whether this be “relationship” or mere coincidence 
I must leave to my readers to judge. 

In the July number of the North American Review (Vol. XLV, 
Boston, 1837, p. 149) the Cambridge poet began an extensive 
treatment of the Bishop of Wexio’s wonderful work on the Old- 
Icelandic Frithiof tale, which appeared in book form in 1825. Of 
various passages that especially appealed to him he had given a 
splendid translation, which Tegner himself praised highly in a letter 
to Longfellow of the tenth of July, 1841. Of this thorough study 
of the Swedish Frithiof saga much apparently remained in Long¬ 
fellow’s memory that between the years 1845 and 1847 found 
expression in the Evangeline. 

Considering the naked kernels, stripped of everything not essen¬ 
tial, we find roughly outlined about this trend of thought. A boy 
and a girl grow up together; they fall in love, are then separated, 
and do not find each other again until years afterward. 

Tracing the relation further, we find: Ingeborg is the daughter 
of a mighty king, Bele, of a very old and renowned family. Evan- 

'Prof. George T. Flom, University of Illinois, has kindly called my attention 
to this article. In it Dr. Thorstenberg touches only in a few lines on pp. 307 and 
308 upon the subject with which the present article deals. 


2 


geline is the child of a well-to-do country nobleman, Bellefontaine. 
Ingeborg grew up with Frithiof, the son of the brave Thorsten 
Vikingsson, who was honored everywhere and who served well 
his country and his king. Evangeline grew up with Gabriel, 
the son of a blacksmith, Basil Lajeunesse, whom everyone re¬ 
spected. He had been a useful son in his own village and his 

word in council was highly valued. The respective fathers were 
from the beginning close friends; Lajeunesse was often in the 
house of his more distinguished friend, as Thorsten in that of 

his lord and king. Their children, as already stated, grew up 

side by side; romping together in field and meadow; attending the 
same church and school; leading the merry village dance. They 
were one in heart and soul, a fact that was evident to their fathers 
and above all things was evident to the respective couples. An 
unhappy fate (which, to be sure, appears different according 
to the respective backgrounds of the two poems) tears asunder 
with ruthless hand the tender bonds of love which had already 
united the two young hearts. It drives away to the far West 
the young heroes, Gabriel and Frithiof. The loved ones remain 
behind with their grief and their longing. Their grief is increased 
still more by the death of their fathers, who are buried in a very 
similar manner. Evangeline’s father finds his lonely grave on 
the shore of the raging sea. Ingeborg’s father was put to eternal 
rest in the sand beside the wild ocean. While the heroes are 
away from their ancestral homes, a fire breaks out and destroys the 
old homesteads. For years the heroes are forced to roam about in 
the West, seeking shelter but not finding it. Years later, after 
fate had led the loved ones through many misfortunes and trials, 
the respective couples, Frithiof—Ingeborg, Gabriel—Evangeline, 
meet once more. One might call it a union in God, for the end 
of both poems contains an unmistakable turn toward the religious, 
in both epics. 

So the principal motive in either poem, the love episode, is 
similar in the essentials. The accompanying circumstances, the 
poetic treatment of the material, may be different here and there, 
but the fact of spiritual relationship cannot be denied, even in 
regard to minor details. This difference in many accompanying 
circumstances is based on the absolutely different origin of the 
material, the historical background (if one may call it that), and 
especially on the atmosphere surrounding the two poems. Evange- 


3 


line’s love for Gabriel, as it was handed down to Longfellow 
from Conolly through Hawthorne, is in the American poem the 
chief plot, precisely defined, historically and locally, and it bears 
a Christian stamp. The Old-Icelandic tale which was told by 
Tegner is pagan, its source is mythical, and the place of action, 
of course, is defined only by mythical geography. By Tegner’s 
master hand the old raw material was polished and modernized 
in its essentials and thus, figuratively speaking, tuned to Long¬ 
fellow’s pitch. Tegner wrote in his letter of April 22, 1839, to 
G. Stephens: “In the saga we find much that is high-minded 
and heroic., but at the same time we meet occa¬ 

sional instances of the raw, the savage, the barbarous, which 
required to be either taken away, or at least to be softened. To a 
certain extent, therefore, it was necessary to modernize, but the 
difficulty here was to find the fitting ‘lagom’ (just the thing). 
On the one hand, the poem ought not too glaringly to offend our 
milder views and more refined habits; on the other, it was 
important not to sacrifice the national, the fresh, the vigorous 
and the natural. There could, and ought to, blow through the 
song that cold winter air, that fresh north wind that characterizes 
so both the climate and the temperament of the North. 
But neither should the storm howl till the very quicksilver froze, 
and all the more tender emotions of the heart were extinguished!” 
In another place: “I have been reproached (though I cannot 
help thinking, without good reason) with having given the love 
between Frithiof and Ingeborg, for instance in The Parting,’ 
too modern and sentimental a cast.” But this love, partly con¬ 
trary to the Icelandic version, often steps entirely into the back¬ 
ground, which indicates a difference from Longfellow. 

But another point, which is more pronounced in Tegner than in 
the Icelandic original, brought the American and Swedish poems 
essentially nearer, and this is the strongly expressed religious 
motive, and the external fact, of course, that in both poems the 
scene is laid on a peninsula in the sea, one in Nova Scotia in the 
Atlantic Ocean, the other on the peninsulas in the “Kirchspiel” 
(county) of Bergen, which project into the Sognefjord. But 
let us stay here a moment. Let us place side by side analogous 
parts of both poems, in order to observe the suspected relation. 
(The quotations from Longfellow are taken from the complete 


4 


works, Vol. II, Boston, 1871. James R. Osgood & Co. References 
to Tegner are made by cantos and lines.) 

The first canto with Tegner reports, as G. Stephens says, 

(Frithiofs Saga. Translated from the original Swedish, G. S. 
London, 1839), “the youthful graces and exploits of Ingeborg 
and of Frithiof, their slowly ripening and tender affection." In 
Longfellow it is similar. Both poems lead us into country districts. 
In Longfellow it is the village, Grand Pre in Acadia, situated on 
the sea: 

“in the Acadian land on the shores of the Basin of Minas, 

Distant, secluded, still, the little village of Grand Pre 
Lay in the fruitful valley.” P. 89. 

Tegner leads us into the quiet country region about the Sogne- 
fjord, not far from the North Sea: “Tre mil strackte sigkringden 
gardens agor, pa tre hall dalar och kullar och berg, men pa fjerde 
sidan var hafvet.” Ill, 7. 

In Hilding’s house and court Ingeborg and Frithiof grow up: 

“Der vaxte uti Hildings gard 
tva plan tor under fostrarns vard. 

Ej Norden forr sett tva sa skona, 
de vaxte herrligt i det grona. 

Den ena som en ek skot fram, 

och som en Ians ar hennes stam.” I, 1. 

Ingeborg is the daughter of King Bele. Her pedigree reaches to 
Odin: 

“Den tarnan ar kung Beles dotter. 

Till Oden sjelf i stjernklar sal 
uppstiger hennes attartal.” I, 136. 

Evangeline is the child of a well-to-do farmer, Bellefontaine, who 
lives as a kind of lord at some distance from the village: 

“Somewhat apart from the village, and nearer the Basin of Minas, 
Benedict Bellefontaine, the wealthiest farmer of Grand Pre, 

Dwelt on his goodly acres; and with him directing his household, 

Gentle Evangeline lived, his child, and the pride of the village.” P. 91. 

Frithiof is the son of a rich and good farmer, Thorsten Vikingsson, 
who had always been a brave champion and was universally loved 
because of his decisive, manly way, and was highly valued by the 
king and all the people. 





5 


Gabriel is the son of the well-to-do blacksmith, Lajeunesse, 
who also plays an important role in the community because of his 
strength, his determination and his courage: 

“Gabriel Lajeunesse, the son of Basil the blacksmith, 

Who was a mighty man in the village and honored of all men.” P. 95. 

The two old men, Bele and Thorsten, were good friends from the 
beginning, and with the changing fortunes of their lives they held 
faithfully to one another: 

“Derefter take begge mang’ hjertligt ord 

allt om sin trogna vanskap, beromd i Nord.” II, 121. 

Often they had met in Bele’s rich, royal hall: 

“Rung Bele, stodd pa svardet, i kungssal stod, 
hos honom Thorsten Vikingsson, den bonde god, 
hans gamle vapenbroder.” 11,1. 

In Longfellow there is the same bond of true friendship: “Basil 
was Benedict’s friend.” P. 96. They, too, often met in their 
favorite room at the rich Beliefontaine’s fireside: 

“Benedict knew by the hob-nailed shoes it was Basil the blacksmith, 

‘Welcome/ the farmer exclaimed,. 

‘Welcome, Basil my friend! Come, take thy place on the settle 

Close by the chimney side, which is always empty without thee.’ ” P. 103. 

In the conversation which they carry on, Lajeunesse’s words 
sound a pessimistic tone. The blacksmith shows that one 
cannot trust in the future, and one must look out for the English 
since one does not know what they have in mind: 

“Four days now are passed since the English ships at their anchors 

Ride in the Gasperous mouth, with their cannon pointed against us. 

What their design may be is unknown.” P. 104. 

In a similar way Thorsten’s words to his son sound a warning 
note not to build too much on the future and to be prepared for 
anything: 

“Dag skall du prisa, Frithiof, se’n bergad sol sig doljt, 
och 61, nar det ar drucket, och rad, nar foljdt. 

Pa mangen sak forlitar sig ungersvennen, 

men striden profvar klingan, och noden vannen.” II, 105. 

The calm Bellefontaine in Longfellow thinks more optimis¬ 
tically about the future, and he begs his friend to be mindful 
of the welfare of his children and share in their common joy: 

“Fear no evil, my friend. 

Shall we not then be glad, and rejoice in the joy of our children?” P. 106. 


6 


King Bele, too, thinks first of the welfare of their sons and 
before death overtakes him, he wished to see them happily united: 

“Jag kallat mina soner och din ocksa, 

ty de tillsammans hora, liksom vi tva.” II, 13. 

The hero and heroine of the two poems should be essentially 
different, but they have many common characteristics, and too 
often, in following the natural development, it seems as if much of 
the Frithiofs Saga were carried over directly to the Evangeline. 
Fate carries both into similar paths. That here and there 
in the descriptions of the heroes, their virtues and deeds, the 
record of the accidents and happenings, etc., much use has been 
made of parallelism, cannot be considered as a characteristic of 
the relationship. It can be found in many epic poems. It is 
different when one compares the poets’ train of thought. Gabriel 
and Evangeline grow up, the lives of both couples run very simi¬ 
larly : 

“Their (Basil and Benedict) children from earliest childhood 
Grew up together as brother and sister.’’ P. 96. 

Exactly so with Tegner, where Frithiof and Ingeborg are com¬ 
pared to growing plants: 

“Der vaxte uti Hildings gard 
tva plantor under fostrarns vard. 

Ej Norden forr sett tva s& skona, 
de vaxte herrligt i det grona. 

Den ena som en ek skot fram, 

och som en Ians ar hennes stam:. 

Den andra vaxte som en ros.” I, 1. 

The comparison is carried out strikingly in the fourth stanza: 
“The storm will blow around the earth and the oak will struggle 
with it. The spring sun will glow in the heavens and then the 
rose will open her red lips.” 

“Men stormen skall kring jorden g&, 
med honom brottas eken da, 
och varsol skall pa himlen gloda, 

da oppnar rosen lappar roda.” I, 13. 

Further on it says, “Accordingly they grew up amid joy and 
pleasure and Frithiof was the young oak tree, while the beautiful 
Ingeborg was the rose in the green of the valley.” 

“Sa vaxte de i frojd och lek, 

och Frithiof var den unga ek; 

men rosen uti dalar grona 

hon hette Ingeborg den skona.” I, 17. 




7 


So they blossomed forth. No task was too hard for Frithiof to 
undertake for Ingeborg. He brought her safely over the dark 
depths in his rocking boat, he carried her over brooks, and he gave 
her flowers, berries, and whatever was most beautiful in nature. 
No tree was too tall for him, no bird’s nest too high, as is beauti¬ 
fully stated in I, 20-48. And when he had learned his first runes, 
he proudly hurried home in order to tell his Ingeborg about them. 
These relations, painted in the somewhat rude Northern coloring, 
are modernized by Longfellow. 

“Father Felician. 

Priest and pedagogue both in the village, had taught them their letters.” P. 96. 

But they also played together and watched, as children are wont 
to do, the work of the blacksmith Lajeunesse when he shod the 
horses’ hoofs. Winter and summer alike brought amusing enter¬ 
tainment and pleasure to Evangeline and Gabriel (pp. 96-97). 

“The childhood days fly by, and in a short time a young man 
stands there, with fiery eyes, which beseech and hope; there stands 
a maiden with budding breast.” 

“ Men barnets dagar flyga bort, 

der star en yngling inom kort 

med eldig blick, som ber och hoppas 

der star en mo med barm, som knoppas.” I, 49. 

And in the Evangeline: 

“Thus passed a few swift years, and they no longer were children. 

He was a valiant youth, and his face like the face of the morning, 
Gladdened the earth with its light, and ripened thought into action. 
She was a woman now, with the heart and hopes of a woman.” P. 97. 

It is evident to both that they love each other. From child¬ 
hood it has been so, and Ingeborg says beautifully, “I love 
Frithiof. Oh, as far back as I can think, I have loved him. This 
feeling was born with me; I do not know when it began—I cannot 
even think that there has been a time when it did not exist.” 

“Jag alskar Frithiof. Ack, sa langt tillbaka, 
som jag kan minnas, har jag alskat honom; 
den kanslan ar ett arsbarn med mig sjelf; 
jag vet ej, nar hon borjat, kan ej ens 
den tanken fatta, att hon varit borta.” VIII, 43. 

Frithiof says that Ingeborg had been his love from youth: 
“var mig kar fran barndomsdagar;” VI, 30. 



8 


Evangeline’s love for Gabriel needs no proof. In her early 
years, when other young men tried to win her love, and knocked 
at her door and her heart, it was Gabriel only who was welcome: 

“Many a suitor came to her door, by the darkness befriended, 

And, as he knocked and waited to hear the sound of her footsteps, 

Knew not what beat the louder, his heart or the knocker of iron; 

Or at the joyous feast of the Patron Saint of the village, 

Bolder grew, and pressed her hand in the dance as he whispered 
Hurried words of love, that seemed a part of the music, 

But among all who came, young Gabriel only was welcome.” P. 59. 

The lovers often meet and sit together. Hand in hand they 
spend the whole evening, until night comes and separates them: 

“Han satt vid dess sida, han tryckte dess hand,” IV, 13. 

“Sa suto de hviskande dagen om, 
de hviskade annu, nar qvallen kom, 
som aftonvindar 

om varen hviska i grona lindar.” IV, 41. 

Longfellow: 

“.By the window she stood, with her hand in her lover’s.” P. 106. 

“Thus was the evening passed. Anon the bell from the belfry 
Rang out the hour of nine, the village curfew.” P. 112. 

Then they go home and in sweet dreams the god of sleep builds 
spiritual bridges between them: 

“Nar Natten uppa fastet star, 
verldsmodern med de morka har, 
och tystnad rar och stjernor vandra, 
da dromma de blott om hvarandra.” I, 113. 

With Longfellow the idea has been carried much further: 

“Little she dreamed that below among the trees of the orchard, 

Waited her lover and watched for the gleam of her lamp and her shadow. 
Yet were her thoughts of him, and at times a feeling of sadness 
Passed o’er her soul, as the sailing shade of clouds in the moonlight 
Flitted across the floor and darkened the room for a moment. 

And, as she gazed from the window, she saw serenely the moon pass 
Forth from the folds of a cloud, and one star followed her footsteps, 

As out of Abraham’s tent young Ishmael wandered with Hagar.” P. 113. 

The fact that the lovers often think and dream of one another, 
is told in many places in both poems. Also the descriptions of 
the forest, field, plain, and sea often show much similarity, but 


9 


there are similar descriptions to be found in hundreds of other 
poems. For more than one reason I think here of Bernardin de 
Saint Pierre’s Paul et Virginie, especially. Also the predomi¬ 
nating strains (“ Stimmungsbilder”) which so often look alike 
are to be left entirely out of consideration in proof of relationship. 
Let us consider one single motive, of itself quite unimportant, 
but remarkable on this very account. In the third canto, which was 
translated in part by Longfellow (Review), Tegner speaks of herds 
with shining fleece and with udders longing for the pails (III, 15). 
This picture must have remained especially vivid in Longfellow’s 
memory, for he speaks in a similar manner several times, as pp. 101, 
128. 

Soon a cruel fate interferes with the hitherto peaceful, life of 
both these couples. In Longfellow, the English come; in Tegner 
the brothers of Ingeborg. Both are, of course, only the means to 
an end. They become caricatures, and absorb the interest of the 
poet only for a short time. In the Northern poem, a “Ting” is 
held at the “Graveshill” (“Jag kom till Tinget uppa attehogen 

.” VIII, 85), where Frithiof’s fate is decided, and 

Ingeborg waits for her lover, to hear the result, but he does not 
appear immediately: 

“Det dagas ren, och Frithiof kommer icke! 

I gar likval var redan Tinget utlyst 
pa Beles hog.” VIII, I. 

In the American poem the gathering which was decisive for 
Gabriel’s future, was held in the church, and likewise Evangeline 
comes to hear of Gabriel’s fate. 

“Meanwhile, amid the gloom, by the church Evangeline lingered. 

All was silent within; and in vain at the door and the windows 
Stood she and listened and looked, till, overcome by emotion, 

‘Gabriel!’ cried she aloud with tremulous voice; but no answer 

Came from the graves of the dead nor the gloomier grave of the living.” P. 123. 

While the “Ting” went on, Ingeborg sat in Balder’s temple and 
wept (V, 106). But the god gave her strength in this hour of need. 

Evangeline was at home with her troubles and cares, and God, 
“Who rules the world,” speaks in a tempest consolingly to her. 
It has already been shown that in the background of both poems is 
religion, and a belief in God is present in its pagan or Christian 
form corresponding to the situation. 


10 


The inevitable happens; the lovers are separated. The picture 
drawn is similar. Evangeline sees Gabriel, pale and white, ap¬ 
proaching. She waits for him on the shore: 

“Halfway down to the shore Evangeline waited in silence, 

Not overcome with grief, but strong in the hour of affliction, 

Calmly and sadly she waited, until the procession approached her, 

And she beheld the face of Gabriel pale with emotion. 

Tears then filled her eyes, and, eagerly running to meet him, 

Clasped she his hands, and laid her head on his shoulder, and whispered:— 
‘ Gabriel! be of good cheer! for if we love one another 

Nothing, in truth, can harm us, whatever mischances may happen!’ ” P. 126. 

In the same way Ingeborg also waited on the seashore, where she 
said farewell to Frithiof. “White and wild,” he finally comes. 
In Tegner this leave-taking is rather drawn out. The whole of 
the eighth canto is given over to it. The ships are ready and the 
young heroes leave their loved ones. These stand for a long while 
and look at those departing: 

“Lange jag sag 

seglet i vester, det flog pa sin vag. 

Ack! det ar lyckligt, far folja 
Frithiof pa bolja.” IX, 5. 

Longfellow: 

“So unto separate ships were Basil and Gabriel carried, 

While in despair on the shore Evangeline stood with her father.” P. 127. 

We know that Gabriel goes to the West; Frithiof does likewise: 

“Rakt i vester, rakt i vester 

skall det ga, hvart boljan bar.” X, 51. 

Frithiof longs to be away from the North, “Hvad ar mig Nor- 
den?” He wants to be free, free like the storm of the mountains, 
“Men jag vill vara fri, sa fri som bergens vind.” VIII, 197. 

In the same way Gabriel sought “a free land” in the West 
where “no King George of England shall drive you away from your 
homesteads.” P. 158. Of these Western lands we hear that every¬ 
thing is beautiful, lovely, resplendent and better than the Northern 
home. 

There is so much there which the North has never had: 

“.mycket var att skada, 

som Frithiof ej sett forr. 

Grofhyflad planka klader 
ej nakna vaggar der, 
men dyrbart gyllenlader 
med blommor och med bar. 



11 


Ej midt pa golfvet gloder 
den muntra brasans sken, 
men emot vagg sig stoder 
kamin af marmorsten. 

Ej rok i sal sig lade, 
ej sags der sotad as, 
glasrutor fonstren hade 
och dorren hade las.” XI, 131. 

With Longfellow: 

“Far in the west there lies a land.” P. 164. 

il .a home that is better perchance than the old one! 

Here no hungry winter congeals our blood like the rivers; 

Here no stony ground provokes the wrath of the farmer. 

Smoothly the ploughshare runs through the soil, as a keel through the water. 
All the year round the orange groves are in blossom; and grass grows 
More in a single night than a whole Canadian summer.” P. 157. 

In the Swedish poem as well as in the American a fire breaks 
out and destroys the heroes’ homes. In Tegner we are told 
about the ruined court of Frithiof: 

“Den nakna eldstad star upp ur mullen, 

lik kampens benrad i attekullen; 

der garden var, ar ett svedjeland, 

och askan hvirflar kring harjad strand.” XII, 55. 

With Longfellow: 

“Suddenly arose from the south a light, as in autumn the 

Blood-red moon climbs the crystal walls of heaven, and o’er the horizon 

Titan-like stretches its hundred hands upon mountain and meadow, 

Seizing the rocks and rivers, and piling huge shadows together. 

Broader and ever broader it gleamed on the roofs of the village, 

Gleamed on the sky and the sea, and the ships that lay in the roadstead. 
Columns of shining smoke uprose, and flashes of flame were 
Thrust through their folds and withdrawn, like the quivering hands of a martyr 
Then as the wind seized the gleeds and the burning thatch, and uplifting, 
Whirled them aloft through the air, at once from a hundred housetops 
Started the sheeted smoke with flashes of flame intermingled.” P. 131. 

About Ingeborg’s father we heard that he had wanted a grave 
for himself and his friend, Thorsten Vikingsson, near the sea: 

“Men laggen oss, I soner, i hogar tva, 

pa hvar sin sida fjarden vid bolja bla.” II, 145. 

We find in the beginning of the third canto that his wish has been 
fulfilled. 

In a like manner Evangeline’s father was buried: “and there 

in haste by the seaside,.they buried the farmer 

of Grand Pre.” P. 133. 


i > •» 

0 

0 


12 


After this Evangeline leaves home: “Leaving behind the dead on 
the shore and the village in ruins”, p. 134, and turns her sad 
steps in search of her lover. Here it often seems as if Evangeline 
and Frithiof change places. In Tegner it is Frithiof who searches 
and wanders, and he speaks words that Evangeline might have 
spoken: 

“Sa lange annu solen tommer 

sin purpurglans pa blomstren varm, 

lik rosenfargadt skir, som gommer 

en blomsterverld, min Ingborgs barm; 

sa lange irrar jag pa stranden, 

af langtan, evig langtan tard, 

och ritar suckande i sanden 

det kara namnet med mitt svard.” VII, 9. 

Our respective hero and heroine have much in common; never¬ 
theless, they are very different. This is only natural when we 
consider the different sources and the treatment of the authors. 
Tegner says expressly in the letter to G. Stephens (that has already 
been mentioned): “It was not Frithiof, as an individual, whom I 
would paint; it was the epoch of which he was chosen as the repre¬ 
sentative.” Or in another place where he speaks of Frithiof's 
character: “The noble, the high-minded, the bold, which is the 
great feature of all heroism, ought not, of course, to be missing 
there; and materials sufficient abounded both in this and many 
other sagas. But together with this general heroism, I have 
endeavored to invest the character of Frithiof with something 
individually Northern—the insolent daring rashness which belongs, 
or at least formerly belonged, to the national temperament.” 
Examining Evangeline’s character after this analysis, we are 
better able to understand the differences and the similarities. 

Only one thing may be mentioned: the motive of Ingeborg’s 
longing for Frithiof and Evangeline’s for Gabriel are handled so 
similarly in both poems and are expressed so frequently, that 
there is no need of proof. Inversely, Frithiof and Gabriel speak of 
the ones they love, whom they left behind. In Tegner: 

“Men nar han talar ater 

om alskad Ingeborg 

hur omt den skona grater, 

hur adel i sin sorg; 

da suckar mangen tarna 

med kinderna i brand.” XI, 209. 



•> 


13 


Basil Lajeunesse himself tells Evangeline how sad it has been for 
all the neighbors, men as well as women, to hear Gabriel constantly 
talking about her, his beloved: 

“Thinking ever of thee, uncertain and sorrowful ever, 

Ever silent, or speaking only of thee and his troubles, 

He at length had become tedious to men and to maidens, 

Tedious even to me.” P. 154. 

Frithiof had promised his beloved, “to come back again on the 
first day of spring.” Ingeborg had firmly trusted in what her 
lover had told her and she hoped: “When the spring comes again, 
he will come back,” but she feared that fate had still further 
played her false, and she might never again meet her lover: 

“Nar det blir var, 

kommer han hem, men den alskade gar 
ej till hans mote i salen, 
icke i dalen.” IX, 13. 

Evangeline is at the Mission, where also Gabriel has been. 
He had promised to come back again in the fall, but like Ingeborg 
she, too, waited in vain: 

‘“Far to the north he has gone,’ continued the priest, ‘but in autumn 
When the chase is done, will return again to the Mission.’ 

Then Evangeline said, and her voice was weak and submissive. 

‘Let me remain with thee, for my soul is sad and afflicted.’” P. 172. 

But we know that our respective hero and heroine lived 
many grievous and sorrowful years before they again met 
their loved ones. We know how they mourned and grieved and 
longed; we know, also, how cruelly they were treated by fate. 

Ingeborg was forced to marry an old king, Ring. Her brothers 
gave her to this powerful ruler because otherwise he would have 
taken their kingdom: 

“ For brodren sattes da tva beting; 

sin syster skulle de ge kung Ring, 

hon ensam kunde hans skymf forsona; 

om ej, sa toge han land och krona.” XII, 101. 

Ingeborg sees in this new trial the hand of Divine Providence 
and ascribes it to the Norns: 

“ Val horde ingen den adlas klagan, 
hon teg, som Vidar i gudasagan; 
hon sorjde tyst.” XII, 163. 




14 


Evangeline, too, was urged to marry some one else: 

“Then they would say, ‘Dear child! why dream and wait for him longer? 
Are there not other youths as fair as Gabriel? Others 
Who have hearts as tender and true, and spirits as loyal? 

Here is Baptiste Leblanc, the notary’s son, who has loved thee 
Many a tedious year; come give him thy hand.P. 138. 

She, too, considers it as the will of God, and without complaining 
she roams her lonely way with the one consolation: 

“Patience; accomplish thy labor; accomplish thy work of affection 
Sorrow and silence are strong, and patient endurance is godlike, 

Purified, strengthened, perfected and rendered more worthy of heaven.” P. 139. 

Ingeborg thought that she would never again see her lover, and 
was ready to die, and Frithiof was to receive a farewell greeting 
from her: 

“Men sag for ingen den svagas strider, 
jag vill ej omkas, ehur jag lider; 
kung Beles dotter fordrar sin sorg, 
men helsa Frithiof fran Ingeborg.” XII, 183. 

Is it not the same in the case of Evangeline? In a convent she is 
going to end her days, following faithfully in the footsteps of her 
Saviour: 

“Other hope had she none, nor wish in life, but to follow 

Meekly, with reverent steps, the sacred feet of her Saviour.” P. 138. 

Yet matters were to turn out differently. Fate brought the 
lovers together again before they died. The manner in which 
this happened is different in the two poems, but that is of no impor¬ 
tance for our study. The main thing is that the last part of both 
poems has the same thought at the bottom: a religious thought 
prevails throughout, a hint of immortality, the consciousness that 
everything stands in the power of a higher law, and that the 
immortal gods in heaven guide everything; like a mighty harmony 
it is woven through the wonderful melody of the finale. Thus in 
Tegner: “Whatever happens has been ordained above in greater 
measure”: 

“Ty hvad som sker harnere, det har redan skett 
i storre matt deruppe.” XXIV, 119. 

Or in another place: “The best is only the gift of the good gods”— 
“ty det basta ar dock gode gudars gafva.” XXIV, 242, and 
especially: “The earth is only the shadow of the heaven; life is 
but the entrance to the Temple of Balder beyond the stars”: 

“Ty jorden ar dock himlens skugga, lifvet ar 

forgarden dock till Balderstemplet ofvan skyn.” XXIV, 191. 



15 


Evangeline had sought and found refuge in the convent. Serv¬ 
ing her God and her Saviour, she wished to end her days because we 
are to seek and strive for a higher life after this perishable one on 
earth. “Father, I thank Thee” are the last words which come 
from the lips of the pious sufferer, when she at last holds her long 
lost lover in her tired arms, and then death releases her both from 
the joys and sorrows of this world and she passes into a better 
world beyond. 

“All was ended now, the hope, and the fear, and the sorrow, 

All the aching of the Heart, the restless, unsatisfied longing, 

All the dull, deep pain, and constant anguish of patience 
And as she pressed once more the lifeless head to her bosom, 

Meekly she bowed her own and murmured, ‘Father, I thank Thee.’” P. 184 

That the poetic thought of “Death as a Reconciler” exists in 
both poems, may be mentioned as a last instance of similarity. In 
Longfellow: 

“And, as she looked around, she saw how Death the consoler, 

Laying his hand on many a heart, had healed it forever.” P. 182. 

In Tegner: 

“Pa jorden gar forsonarn kring och heter dod.” XXIV, 155. 

In conclusion, some of the instances that have seemed to offer 
proof of the suspected “relationship” may be summed up as follows: 
Scenery and place of action are almost alike; the heroines are the 
daughters of rich, influential, noble leaders in their respective 
places, while the heroes are the sons of lesser, though by no means 
unimportant men who stand in a kind of subject relationship 
to their richer, nobler friends, in whose houses they foregather. 
Both of the latter look somewhat pessimistically into the future, 
while the two rich “noblemen”—if one might call them so—are 
optimistic and are concerned about the welfare of their respective 
children. Gabriel and Evangeline, on the one hand, Frithiof 
and Ingeborg on the other, grow up together, study together, 
dance together, until love springs up between them; then they sit 
together in the evening, hand in hand; dream of each other and 
vow never to leave one another. But later they are separated 
by fate. In both cases, a council is held before the two men— 
the heroes—leave. During these councils, the heroines are waiting 
and longing for the return of the lovers. Finally the lovers 
appear, looking wan and pale. They are doomed to leave their 


16 


homes, but because they are going to the rich West, where every¬ 
thing is better than in the cold North and where they will find 
a “free” land, they leave more or less gladly. When the ships 
carry them off, the heroines stand for a long time watching by the 
seashore, grieving for their lovers. Soon after their departure 
a fire breaks out and destroys their respective homes. The hero¬ 
ines bear this disaster and besides that, there comes also the sor¬ 
row over the death of their fathers. The fathers are both buried 
in the sand of the seashore, which is rather strange with Longfellow 
because shortly before he had spoken of a churchyard with its 
graves. Both Frithiof and Gabriel think and speak very often 
of the beloved ones they have left behind. But years elapse 
before they meet again. Meanwhile, both of the heroines are 
urged to give up their betrothed and to marry someone else. 
Though Ingeborg is forced to do so, Evangeline refuses; both 
trust in God and hope firmly that their beloved of old will come 
back. In both poems we notice from now on a pretty definite 
turn into the religious. Years after, both couples meet again. It 
is a reunion in God, as I said before, with a gloomy outlook in both 
poems upon the “Reconciler Death.” 

These are some of the most important similarities. Details, 
though sometimes striking as well as convincing in their likeness— 
such as words, expressions, congruencies in figures of speech, 
metre, local background and general coloration—have not been 
exhaustively considered in this article. Whoever regards the 
statements made in this paper as proofs of a relationship between 
the two poems may easily find more points of resemblance. One 
may reject some of them; but it can scarcely be denied that Evange¬ 
line is a god-child of Frithiof; one, however, who, because of her 
noble antecedent, loses none of her own beauty or personality 
but, on the other hand, gains by it. 

Anton Appei.mann. 


University of Vermont, March , 1915 . 





































